Method for processing items such as pieces of meat

ABSTRACT

A method of processing items such as pieces of meat, by providing a stream of items by means of a primary conveyor means, allocating at least partly by means of a computer system one or more of said items to one of at least two workstations where said items are processed, e.g. cut and/or trimmed, resulting in one or more processed items, registering in said computer system information about a return of at least one of said one or more processed items to said primary conveyor means, and returning said at least one of said one or more processed items to said primary conveyor means in accordance with said information about a return, wherein the method further comprises keeping track of said items including when they are taken out and put back on the primary conveyor. The invention further relates to a processing system for carrying out the method.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/946,357 filed on Jul. 19, 2013, incorporated herein by reference,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/865,800filed on Nov. 8, 2010, incorporated herein by reference, which is a 371of PCT application number PCT/EP2009/051070 filed on Jan. 30, 2009,incorporated herein by reference, which claims priority from Europeanpatent application number 08002022.5 filed on Feb. 4, 2008, incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for processing food items suchas pieces of meat, e.g. carcasses or parts of pigs, calves and beevesand the like, and poultry, fish, etc., or any other food product and anapparatus for carrying out the method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food processing systems comprising a number of food items beingsubstantially sequentially delivered to a number of workstations forprocessing are commonly known. One example is a trim table where piecesof meat are provided sequentially by a primary conveyor band.Workstations are located along the primary conveyor, where operators cantrim a piece of meat for excessive fat, bones and low-quality meat, orcut the piece to obtain a piece of predetermined weight, size or shape.The allocation of meat pieces from the primary conveyor to theworkstations are in advanced systems computer controlled, thus enablingautomatic sorting of pieces to workstations for different types ofprocessing, and keeping track of the pieces for traceability purposes.When a piece of meat is processed at a workstation it typically resultsin one or more of a main piece of meat, and bones, fat and cut off meat,so-called trim, possibly of different qualities. According to thepossible use of the different categories, one or more secondary conveyorbands, baskets, bags, trolleys or other suitable means are arranged fortransporting the meat and waste away. In a typical trim table an in-feedprimary conveyor is transporting meat pieces to the workstations, ande.g. three secondary conveyors typically located underneath the in-feedconveyor and table are transporting a) main pieces, b) fat and trim andc) waste, e.g. bones, away. Systems of this type are for example knownfrom the PCT patent applications published as WO 98/14370 A2, WO01/91565 A1 and WO 03/077662 A1.

The fact that the processed meat pieces are transported away afterprocessing requires a second trim table or set of workstations to bearranged at the out-feed secondary conveyor if more processing stepsneed to be made to each piece of food. In particular when only somepieces need further processing, and where this may even not be knownbefore allocating it to a first workstation, it becomes impractical toestablish this second stage of processing at a separate location. Thisis further strengthened by the fact that the operators best skilled forperforming the second stage of processing of a particular piece of meat,e.g. a particularly difficult cut or trimming which the operator towhich the piece was initially allocated is not suited to carry out, areprobably working at the first trim table for doing this particularoperation already.

Alternatively, a few adjacent workstations can work together to performseveral processing tasks, e.g. as disclosed in WO 01/91565 A1, where themeat items are first provided by an overhead rail system to a number ofde-boning stations, and each of these de-boning stations hands thede-boned items to two adjacent slicing stations. At the slicingstations, the de-boned and sliced items are transported away by aconveyor. This configuration does facilitate two processing steps to beperformed (de-boning and slicing), but in a very inflexible way. Interms of flexibility, this configuration in practice equals oneworkstation receiving an item from one conveyor system, performs twoprocessing steps and delivers the resulting items to a second conveyorsystem.

In both the above configurations the amount of different conveyors whichtransport the different categories of meat, trim and waste around thefactory floor makes the planning and design of a processing systemdifficult and inflexible. This becomes particularly significant forsmaller systems with only a few workstations, where still the sameamount of conveyors, and thus space, is needed as for a huge system.

Another problem with the several conveyors transporting items away fromthe workstations is that they are typically arranged underneath thetables for space considerations and thereby considerably more difficultto clean than the primary conveyor, and frequent, thorough cleaning is acritical requirement in food processing systems because of food hygieneconsiderations.

An object of the present invention is therefore to improve theflexibility of transportation means as well as enabling more processingstages in food processing systems such as e.g. trim tables.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for processing items such aspieces of meat, comprising the steps of

-   -   providing a stream of items 10 by means of a primary conveyor        means 4,    -   allocating at least partly by means of a computer system 8, 20        one or more of said items 10 to one of at least two workstations        1 where said items 10 are processed, e.g. cut and/or trimmed,        resulting in one or more processed items 11,    -   registering in said computer system 8, 20 information about a        return of at least one of said one or more processed items 11 to        said primary conveyor means 4, and    -   returning said at least one of said one or more processed items        11 to said primary conveyor means 4 in accordance with said        information about a return.

According to the present invention, a very advantageous method forprocessing food is provided, whereby it is possible to return processeditems to the primary conveyor, which thereby acts as both in-feed andout-feed conveyor. Besides avoiding at least one secondary conveyormeans for transporting the main pieces away from the worktables, themethod of the present invention also enables processing the same pieceof food at another workstation in the same processing system, e.g. trimtable, thereby enabling more processing stages to be performed by asmaller and simpler processing system. Moreover, the saving of atypically well hidden conveyor for transporting main pieces away alsosignificantly simplifies the cleaning procedures, which is an importantaspect of the daily production.

By the method of the present invention, items can be taken away from theprimary conveyor for processing at a workstation, and can be put back onthe primary conveyor again for transportation to other workstations orpost-processing systems, e.g. packaging. As required by contemporaryfactory owner, reseller and customer demands, the items can be trackedfrom the start to the end of the processing by means of a computersystem, even when items change position on the conveyor because of thenew possibility of putting items back. This is made possible byregistering in the computer whenever an item is taken away or put backor ready to be put back on the conveyor. Several ways of registeringinformation about a return of an item and performing the physicalreturning itself are within the scope of the present invention, and canbe performed in any order. In a preferred embodiment, the computersystem is informed when an item is processed and ready for being putback, e.g. by an operator placing the item on a scale. The computersystem then plans when it will be a suitable time to put the item back,e.g. according to its knowledge of other items already present on theconveyor, and the distance between them. At the suitable time thecomputer system controls a local scale conveyor to transport the itemonto the in-feed conveyor, which according to the present invention isalso the out-feed conveyor. However, several other scenarios arepossible and within the scope of the present invention and some of theseare also described below.

According to the present invention, the processing method is preferablyapplied in a food processing system comprising several workstations,e.g. a so-called trim table, flowline or cut-up table, etc., andpossibly also other processing, pre-processing and post-processingstations, e.g. registration stations, initial cut-up stations, sortingstations, quality control stations, packing stations, etc. The processeditems preferably comprises pieces of meat, e.g. entire carcasses orsmaller parts of pigs, calves and beeves and the like, and poultry,fish, etc., or any other food product which is typically processedindividually at workstations.

The primary conveyor means is according to the present inventionpreferably of a conventional conveyor belt type on which items are lyingwhile being transported in one, typical linear direction, but anysuitable conveying means are within the scope of the present invention,for example a belt or rail on which items are transported in trays orbaskets or held by robot grippers, or overhead rail or track systemswith gambrels or so-called christmas trees. In other words, the type ofconveying means should be selected according to the items to be conveyedand the overall processing tasks required, as the present inventionfacilitates any conveying means, as long as items can be unloaded aswell as loaded by a manual operator or automatic means.

According to the present invention a stream of items generally refers tothe fact that items are delivered separately as opposed to beingdelivered in piles or mixed together in a basket. Any suitable way ofdelivering items separately, i.e. as a stream of items, is within thescope of the invention, and preferably comprises delivering the itemssequentially one by one by a conveyor band, but may as well compriseitems distributed out in two or more parallel lines or more randomlylocated on any suitable conveyor means, as long as a correspondinglyarranged computer system will be able to keep track of each individualitem. It is noted, however, that where several items are in factprocessed together, it is also within the scope of the present inventionto provide such items together, e.g. arranged in baskets, and in thatcase the baskets are considered items according to the invention.

A computer system according to the present invention may comprise anysystem suitable for keeping track of the items including when they aretaken out and put back on the primary conveyor, and planning theirallocation to the workstations. The computer system may be specificallyassigned to a single processing method according to the presentinvention, or it can be a central computer system controlling severalsystems. The computer system may be a distributed system, and/or it maybe connected to other computer systems, info-terminals, PDAs, theInternet, etc., by means of any suitable electronic communication means,including wireless means, preferably a computer network.

Workstations are according to the present invention a location to andfrom which the items can be transported, and which are arranged for aprocessing of the items to be carried out. The several workstationscomprised by a food processing system need not be assigned for the sameprocessing work, e.g. deboning, trimming, filleting, cutting meat intopieces, etc., but are in fact according to the present inventionpreferably assigned so that one type of processing is performed at someworkstations, and other types of processing is performed at otherworkstations. The physical workstations may be equally equipped toenable any work, and the different work allocated to them may beselected according to the different workers operating the workstations,or the workstations may physically be differently equipped and designedto better facilitate a specific processing to be carried out. Theconfiguration of the workstations should thus be designed according tothe work to be carried out at the workstation and any configuration iswithin the scope of the present invention. In particular, the presentinvention is not restricted to facilitate manual operators working atthe workstation, and so is use of several operators or automatedprocedures using machines or robots or combinations of manual operatorsand machines likewise within the scope of the invention.

The allocation of items to workstations by means of the computer systemrefers according to the present invention to the computer controlling atleast partly which workstation should process a particular item. Thecomputer may perform the allocation all by itself according topredetermined algorithms, or a supervisor or operator may cooperate withthe computer system, e.g. by performing a coarse distribution or sortingof items or adding preferences to the items in the computer system,before the computer performs the final allocation and controls thephysical transport. Suitable means for doing the physical transportationfrom the primary conveyor to the workstation under control of thecomputer system should be applied, and any suitable means are within thescope of the present invention. For a conveyor means comprising aconventional conveyor belt, an example of a suitable, computercontrollable transportation device is a sweeper arm which on command ofthe computer system can be rotated so as to extent over the width of theconveyor band at the exact right time to bar the way for a particularitem which is thereby directed onto the workstation table and thesweeper arm is immediately thereafter rotated back to align the conveyormeans so as to not bar further items, and if necessary sweep the itemonto the desired workstation table. Other examples of suitable, computercontrollable transportation devices for effectuating the allocationcomprises robot grippers or suckers suitable for grabbing an item fromthe conveyor band and placing it on a workstation table, sweeper armsthat are linearly actuated as opposed to rotated, or blowing the itemsoff the conveyor by means of high-pressure air, but any means are withinthe scope of the present invention.

The processing of an item at a workstation typically results in at leasta primary part of the original item being suitable for furtherprocessing or packaging. This primary part, which comprises some or theentire meat or food product of the original item, is herein referred toas a processed item. It is noted that some processing tasks involvescutting a larger item into two or more smaller items, all or some ofwhich are suitable for further processing or packaging, and in this caseone item results in two or more processed items. The processing mayresult in other pieces, typically in addition to the primary part, theseother pieces comprising bones, fat, trim of different quality, e.g. halffat, half muscle, etc. These pieces are herein referred to as waste orsecondary processed items, and may typically be thrown away, used forfood products with another quality, or used for other purposes.

According to the present invention some or all of the processed itemsare returned, i.e. put back, to the primary conveyor means. In order forthe computer system to be able to keep track of all items' whereabouts,and in particular which items are located in which sequence on theprimary conveyor means, information about the return to the conveyor ofa processed item has to be registered in the computer system. The orderof registering the information and the physical act of returning dependson the particular configuration of the processing method, as describedabove. The information about a return of a processed item should atleast comprise information about which item is returned, but may inaddition and preferably comprise information about item characteristics,e.g. weight, and workstation characteristics, e.g. operatoridentification. The additional information enables the computer systemto effectuate yield control on a per item per processing task basis,i.e. enabling drawing statistics about the quality or efficiency of acertain processing task, a certain workstation, a certain operator, acertain type of item, etc. These possibilities are described in moredetail below. The physical return act may be performed by any suitablemeans, e.g. manually by an operator or automatically, e.g. by means of abin with automatically releasable bottom, a conveyor band, a sweeperarm, etc., and any suitable means are within the scope of the invention,as long as it is possible to reliably establish accurate informationabout the return in the computer system, in particular regarding wherethe processed item is put back relative to the existing sequence ofitems located on the conveyor.

When said items 10 are initially registered in said computer system 8,20 prior to said allocation, said initial item registration comprisinginitial item characteristics, e.g. identification numbers, origins,initial weights, initial shapes, initial compositions, associatedcutting and/or trimming instructions, etc., said item characteristicsbeing obtained by e.g. weighing, weight determination, scanning, manualinspection, tag reading, etc., an advantageous embodiment of the presentinvention is obtained.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the initialitem characteristics are obtained by an initial characteristicsdetermining device 6, preferably a scale or a scanner, upstream thebeginning of the primary conveyor 4.

When said processed items 11, 12 are registered in said computer system8, 20 subsequent to said processing, said processed item registrationcomprising processed item characteristics, e.g. identification numbers,origins, processed weights, processed shapes, processed compositions,further processing instructions, etc, an advantageous embodiment of thepresent invention is obtained.

When said processed item characteristics are obtained at saidworkstations 1, e.g. by means of weight determination, scanning, manualinspection, tag reading, etc, an advantageous embodiment of the presentinvention is obtained.

According to the present invention, a very advantageous possibility ofcollecting information for each processing task, item, workstation andoperator is enabled by obtaining the information at the workstations.Even when an item is sequentially processed at several workstationsalong the conveyor, it will be possible to know e.g. how much fat wascut off in stage 2, how fast did the operator at stage 3 perform thetrimming, etc.

When said step of returning said at least one of said one or moreprocessed items 11, 12 to said primary conveyor means 4 comprisesdetermining an empty space on said primary conveyor means 4 suitable forreceiving said returning processed items 11, 12 taking their size intoaccount, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention isobtained.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the returnto the conveyor means from a workstation of a processed or furtherprocessed item is computer controlled, which means, that the computersystems should be able to determine a space on the conveyor means wherethe item fits. It is important that there is enough space for each item,as the sweeper arms will not be able to separate and the weightdetermining devices and track keeping sensors may not be able todistinguish two items lying closely together. Therefore the measuring ofprocessed item characteristics, e.g. weight, may include measuring thesize of the item; in particular its extent in the direction parallel tothe conveyor means 4. The computer system is then able to evaluate thesequence of items and processed items already on the conveyor means andsee where the returning item fits with the size measured. Themeasurement can e.g. be made by sensors, scanners or a camera located inconnection with the scale conveyor 16.

When said processed item characteristics are obtained substantially at atermination area A of said primary conveyor means 4, e.g. by means ofweight determination, scanning, manual inspection, tag reading, etc., anadvantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When comparison of said initial item registrations and said processeditem registrations facilitates yield control and/or traceability, anadvantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When after returning said at least one of said one or more processeditems 11, 12 to said primary conveyor means 4 one or more of saidprocessed items 11, 12 are again allocated by means of said computersystem 8, 20 to one of said at least two workstations 1 where saidprocessed items 11, 12 are further processed, an advantageous embodimentof the present invention is obtained.

According to this very preferred embodiment of the present invention,the processing method enables one item to be processed in several stagesat different workstations even at the same primary conveyor. Accordingto known systems, this has not been possible before, because theprocessed items were transported away from the workstations e.g. bysecondary conveyors.

When information about a further return of one or more of said furtherprocessed items 12 to said primary conveyor means 4 is registered insaid computer system 8, 20 and said further processed items 12 arereturned to said primary conveyor means 4 in accordance with saidinformation about a further return, an advantageous embodiment of thepresent invention is obtained.

When one or more of said at least two workstations 1 are operated byoperators 13, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention isobtained.

When said step of registering information about a return is initiated byan operator 13 or by said computer system 8, 20 or a device, e.g. ascale controller, a scanner, a sensor, etc., connected to said computersystem 8, 20 and said step of returning processed items is performed byan operator 13 or by said computer system 8, 20, an advantageousembodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When one or more of said workstations 1 is provided with a discardsignalling device 9, 17 connected to said computer system 8, 20 formaking a registration in said computer system 8, 20 that a certain item10 or processed item 11, 12 is not returned to said primary conveyormeans 4, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention isobtained.

When processing instructions are provided to said workstations 1 by saidcomputer system 8, 20 in accordance with said allocations, anadvantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When one or more of said workstations 1 are provided with an itemqueuing means 15, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention isobtained.

When said item queuing means 15 comprises a conveyor belt 15 or rollers,preferably a free running conveyor belt or free running rollers,preferably arranged to convey items 10, 11, 12 substantiallyorthogonally to the conveying direction of said primary conveyor means4, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When said primary conveyor means 4 comprises a conveyor belt 4, anadvantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When one or more of said workstations 1 are provided with one or moresecondary output means 18, e.g. trays, chutes, openings or bins,preferably connected to one or more secondary conveyor means 19 forcollecting and/or transporting waste 14 or secondary processed items 14,e.g. bones, fat and trim of different quality, away from saidworkstations 1, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention isobtained.

According to the present invention, a registration of secondaryprocessed items may also be performed in the computer system. In somesystems the individual secondary processed items may not be important toregister, but typically the amount of secondary processed items andwaste produced by each workstation is relevant to register. This cane.g. be performed by providing a weight determining device in connectionwith the trays, chutes openings, etc., or a registration can be madewhenever secondary items are put on the secondary conveyor(s), therebyenabling the computer to keep track of the items on the secondaryconveyor(s) and weighing them at the end. The information aboutsecondary items and waste can be correlated with the information aboutitems and processed items in order to improve the yield control andtraceability options.

When one or more of said workstations 1 are provided with a weightdetermining device 9, 16 for obtaining said processed itemcharacteristics, said weight determining device 9, 16 comprising aconveyor belt 16 or other transportation device for returning processeditems 11, 12 to said primary conveyor means 4, an advantageousembodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When said conveyor belt 16 or other transportation device is arrangedwith a termination area B above said primary conveyor means 4, anadvantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When said weight determining device 9, 16 comprises a scale or anoptical scanner, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention isobtained.

When said weight determining device 9, 16 automatically determines saidprocessed item characteristics, e.g. weight, fat composition, etc., whenit recognises that a processed item located in the position for weightdetermination does not move, an advantageous embodiment of the presentinvention is obtained.

When said weight determining device 9, 16 automatically initiates saidinformation about a return registration in said computer system 8, 20 ifsaid processed item characteristics of a currently weight determinedprocessed item meet predetermined acceptable criteria, and awaitsinstructions from an operator 13 or said computer system 8, 20 if saiditem characteristics do not meet said predetermined acceptable criteria,an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.

When processing characteristics, e.g. time between an item enters and aprocessed item leaves the workstation, weight difference from entranceto exit, shape and/or composition difference from entrance to exit,etc., are obtained at one or more of said at least two workstations 1and provided to said computer system 8, 20, an advantageous embodimentof the present invention is obtained.

When one or more of said workstations 1 are provided with an outputqueuing means for carrying out the step of returning said processeditems to said primary conveyor means 4, said output queuing means e.g.comprising an output conveyor directed substantially orthogonally to theconveying direction of said primary conveyor means and one or moresensors for determining the positions of processed items on said outputconveyor, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention isobtained.

The present invention further relates to a system for processing itemssuch as pieces of meat, said system comprising the means essential tocarry out a method according to any of the above.

THE DRAWINGS

The invention will in the following be described with reference to thedrawings where

FIG. 1 illustrates a workstation according to an embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 2 illustrates a food processing system according to an embodimentof the invention,

FIGS. 3-5 illustrates a workstation according to a further embodiment ofthe invention,

FIG. 6 illustrates a food processing system according to a furtherembodiment of the invention, and

FIGS. 7-11 depict details of a further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates the principles in an embodiment of the presentinvention as seen from above. It comprises a workstation 1 preferablycomprising a workstation table 2 and a platform 3 suitable for anoperator to stand on when working at the workstation table 2. Theconfiguration of the workstation table and platform may be designedaccording to the work to be carried out at the workstation.

The workstation of FIG. 1 forms part of a food processing systemcomprising several such workstations, e.g. a so-called trim table,flowline or cut-up table, and possibly also other processing,pre-processing and post-processing stations, e.g. registration stations,initial cut-up stations, sorting stations, quality control stations,packing stations, etc. The kind of specific items being processed in asystem according to the present invention is not essential and cancomprise any kind of items which have to be individually processedduring production, e.g. slaughtered animals, e.g. pigs, beeves, calves,fish, poultry, etc., in any stage of processing, i.e. entire carcasses,half, quarter or smaller parts of carcasses, small parts ready fortrimming, filleting or portion cutting, etc. The several workstationscomprised by a food processing system need not be assigned for the sameprocessing work, but are in fact according to the present inventionpreferably assigned so that one type of processing is performed at someworkstations, and other types of processing is performed at otherworkstations.

FIG. 1 further illustrates a conveyor means 4 arranged to carry items 10and processed items 11, to, past and/or from the workstation. Theconveyor means is illustrated as a conventional conveyor belt, on whichitems are lying while being transported in one, typical lineardirection, but any suitable conveying means is within the scope of thepresent invention

A computer system 8 keeps track of the items 10 and processed items 11which are being transported by the conveyor means 4. In particular, thecomputer system 8 should keep track of the sequential positioning ofeach item and processed item, but further information may be processedby the computer system, e.g. the exact physical positions of the itemsand processed items, characteristics of the items and processed items,e.g. weight, bone, fat and meat distribution, shape, quality, colour,etc., predetermined or dynamically determined sorting, processing andpackaging parameters associated with each item and processed item,traceability information, i.e. information about origin of each item andprocessed item to a certain, predetermined extent, e.g. the country oforigin, the farm, the batch, the specific animal, etc. In order toimprove the tracking of items on the conveyor means, suitable sensorsmay be provided along the conveyor means to monitor the precisepositions of items, and/or a tachometer or other suitable device may beprovided to monitor the real speed of the conveyor means. Also cameras,scanners, tag readers, etc., may be employed for tracking the items.

In FIG. 1 is as mentioned above illustrated using a conventionalconveyor belt for conveying means 4, and in that case a suitable devicefor unloading items comprises a sweeper arm 5, preferably controlled bythe computer system 8. When the items should go past the workstation 1,the sweeper arm 5 is lying stationary along the conveyor belt notinterfering with the transportation of items. On the other hand, when anitem should be unloaded to the workstation 1, the sweeper arm 5 isrotated so as to extend over the full width of the conveyor means 4 asillustrated in FIG. 1 and thereby bar the transportation of an item 10,which is instead directed onto the workstation table 2.

As mentioned above, the items 10 may comprise any kind of food in anystage of processing. In a preferred embodiment, the items 10 comprisepieces of meat which have to be trimmed for excessive fat, and in orderto comply with a predetermined weight range. The processing, e.g.cutting, trimming, filleting, shaping, etc., performed at theworkstation 1 typically results a processed item 11 and one or morepieces of waste or secondary processed items 14, e.g. fat, meat with toomuch fat in it, or meat of lower quality. In some processes, e.g. simplecutting up of big meat chunks, the processing results in two or moreprocessed items 11, possibly with no waste or secondary processed items14.

When the relevant processing has been carried out, the processed items11 are returned to the conveyor means 4. In the principle embodiment ofFIG. 1 no specific means for this return are shown, as any suitablemeans, including manual loading, is within the scope of the presentinvention. According to the present invention, when the system isstarted, the conveyor means 4 will typically only comprise items 10 thatare not processed. After some time, when some items have been processedat the workstation 1, the conveyor means 4 may comprise bothnon-processed items 10 and processed items 11, and if some items arepassing the workstation 1 on the conveyor means without being processedby that workstation, the conveyor means will comprise a mix ofnon-processed and processed items, or more accurately items which hasbeen processed to different extents. For each item or processed itembeing returned to the conveyor means 4 from the workstation 1 aregistration should be made in the computer system 8 to keep theregister of items on the conveyor accurate at all times. Apart fromcarrying on the further information that may be comprised in thecomputer system about that item before the processing, the registrationcan be made with any suitable detail, ranging from simply inserting anitem reference number of the returned item between the two relevantitems already on the conveyor, over updating existing information, e.g.about initial weight, shape, fat distribution, etc., to adding newinformation about weight, shape, any trimming or cutting performed,further traceability information such as operator name, etc., furtherprocessing parameters, etc. The registration in the computer systemshould also be able to handle when an item is cut into two or moreprocessed items which all are returned to the conveyor, as opposed tothe secondary processed items 14 or waste which is typically handled byother means, e.g. baskets or a separate, secondary conveyor.

The registration in the computer system 8 about the return of aprocessed item to the conveyor can be made automatically, e.g. by asensor monitoring any items being loaded onto the conveyor from theworkstation 1, or manually, e.g. by the operator pushing a button eachtime he returns an item to the conveyor. The return itself, i.e. theloading onto the conveyor, can also be performed either automatically orsemi-automatically by means of a transverse transportation means,another sweeping arm, a robot gripper, a tray with computer controlledrelease mechanism, etc., or it can be done manually orsemi-automatically by having the operator simply laying the processeditems on the conveyor or in a chute leading to the conveyor.

FIG. 2 illustrates a food processing system, e.g. a flowline or trimtable, comprising several workstations 1 as the one described withreference to FIG. 1. As described above, each workstation 1 preferablycomprises a workstation table 2, a platform 3 for an operator 13 tostand on and a sweeper arm 5. The workstations 1 are arranged on bothsides along a conveyor means 4. In the configuration of FIG. 2 allworkstations are illustrated as being substantially equally configured,and symmetrically located along the conveyor. It is noted, however, thatany configurations, e.g. including different types of workstations fordifferent processing tasks, or parts of the conveyor means 4 not beingassociated with any workstations, etc., are within the scope of thepresent invention. Moreover, the conveyor means 4 needs not be linearlyarranged as in FIG. 2 within the scope of the present invention. Thesweeper arms 5 are each connected to a computer system 8, which keepstrack of the items as described above, and is thereby able to controlwhich items should be unloaded to which workstations at which times.

In FIG. 2 is illustrated each workstation being equipped with a computerregistration device 9 e.g. for obtaining information about a return of aprocessed item to the conveyor means 4 as described above, and sendingthis information to the computer system 8.

The food processing system in FIG. 2 further comprises an initialcharacteristics determining device 6, e.g. comprising a short conveyorband arranged together with a scale to establish the weight of an item10 being transported by the initial characteristics determining device.Any suitable initial characteristics determining devices are within thescope of the present invention, e.g. scales, scanners, sensors, manualinspection, etc., are within the scope of the invention, as well as anycombinations thereof. The initial characteristics determining device 6is connected to the computer system 8, e.g. in order to establish theinitial register of the sequence of items, preferably together withadditional information, e.g. initial item weights, initial shapes,initial bone, fat and meat distributions, initial sizes, etc. Instead ofan initial characteristics determining device, the same information maybe obtained from a pre-processing system, e.g. a sorting system, coarsecutting system, etc., whereby the initial characteristics determiningdevice can be dispensed with. The information available in the computersystem when items 10 are provided to the conveyor means 4 should besufficient to keep track of the sequence of items, but should in apreferred embodiment also keep track of associated weights, traceabilityinformation, planned processing steps, etc. In a food processing systemwhere the workstations are configured for different processing, e.g. bydifferent arrangements or different operators with different skills, thecomputer systems should preferably also have access to such informationin order to control the allocation of items to the relevant workstationsby means of the sweeper arms 5 or other distribution means. When thecomputer system knows both the sequence of items as well as theavailable processing means, i.e. differently configured workstations, itcan plan the process most efficiently with respect to speed, quality,other aims, or compromises thereof.

FIG. 2 further illustrates final characteristics determining device 7arranged at the termination area A of the conveyor means 4. The finalcharacteristics determining device 7 may comprise any of the devicesmentioned as suitable for the initial characteristics determining device6, but need not be the same in a specific configuration. The finalcharacteristics determining device 7 is connected to the computer system8 in order to obtain information about the items when they leave theprocessing system, e.g. information about final weights, final shapes,final distributions of bone, fat and meat, final colour, etc. Thisinformation may be used by the computer system 8 for comparing with theinitial information obtained from the initial characteristicsdetermining device 6 and from the computer registration device 9. As thecomputer system 8 has been keeping track of the items during theprocessing, the computer system knows which item measured by the finalcharacteristics determining device 7 compares to which item measure bythe initial characteristics determining device 6, and/or the computerregistration devices 9. This information is preferably used for yieldcontrol, i.e. determining how much each item has been decreased due toe.g. trimming, how accurate the processing has been performed, etc. Thiscan be used for overall quality and efficiency measurements andimprovements, as well as for specific operator quality and efficiencymeasurements. The information obtained by the final characteristicsdetermining device 7 may further be used in post-processing tasks, e.g.packing, sorting, further processing, etc.

For an embodiment of the present invention to work, basically only thekeeping track of items' position in the sequence, taking into accountitems being “out” for processing at the different workstations isnecessary. The initial characteristics determining device 6 or othermeans for obtaining information at earlier stages facilitates planningthe allocation of items to relevant workstations, and/or instructionstowards the specific processing needed for each item. The finalcharacteristics determining device 7 or other means for obtaininginformation at subsequent stages facilitates yield control forefficiency and quality measurements, as well as planning subsequentstages. The computer registration devices 9 may be used instead ofeither the initial or the final characteristics determining devices 6 or7, or may be applied in addition thereto, to obtain even more detailedinformation, or to minimise the risk of item sequence errors.

A particularly advantageous possibility facilitated by the presentinvention whereby processed items are returned to the same conveyormeans 4, is the possibility of allocating an already processed item 11to a downstream workstation for even further processing. This concept isillustrated in FIG. 2 where a processed item 11 is allocated to aworkstation 1 and processed, resulting in a further processed item 12,which is again returned to the conveyor means 4. The conveyor means 4may thus after a while be transporting items of different degrees ofprocessing, but as every necessary information, e.g. the unloading andloading of items on the conveyor means is registered in the computersystem, it is possible to keep track and always know which items arefinished being processed, and which items need more processing. Inprinciple, by arranging the conveyor means long enough or travellingslowly enough, it is possible to have as many separate processing stepsas necessary.

FIG. 3 illustrates a workstation 1 according to an embodiment of theinvention in more detail. It comprises a workstation table 2 andpreferably a platform 3. A conveyor means 4 transports items 10 andprocessed items 11 to, past and/or from the workstation 1. Theallocation of an item to the workstation is performed by means of asweeper arm 5 controlled by a computer system. An item 10 may beallocated to the workstation, processed, e.g. by an operator, resultingin one or more processed items 11 and possibly waste and/or secondaryprocessed items 14. In a preferred embodiment one or more bins, chutes,trays, openings 18 or other means are provided for the operator to getrid of waste and/or secondary processed items 14. In a preferredembodiment one or more secondary conveyors 19 are provided, preferablyunderneath the workstations, preferably parallel to the conveyor means4, for transporting waste and/or secondary processed items 14 away.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a weight determining device16, e.g. corresponding to a computer registration device 9 describedabove with reference to FIG. 2, e.g. comprising a scale, is providedwith a short conveyor band with a direction transverse to the directionof the conveyor means 4. When a processed item 11 is placed on theweight determining device 16, information about the processed item 11can be obtained and transmitted to the computer system. As the computersystem itself allocated the item for the workstation by means of thesweeper arm 5, the computer system knows which processed item is on thescale. When the processed item 11 should be loaded onto the conveyormeans 4 the short conveyor band transports it forward until it fallsdown on the transverse conveyor means 4. The short conveyor of the scale16 may be manually or automatically operated. If manually operated, asensor or button should be used to inform the computer system about theexact time the processed item is returned to the conveyor means 4. Ifautomatically operated, the computer system because of its keeping trackof the items knows when a suitable empty space is available on theconveyor means 4, and drops the processed item 11 accordingly, and canin that case make the registration of the return automatically, or, inother words, the planning of when to drop the processed item on theconveyor means 4 can be seen as the registration of a return itself.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a display, preferably withtouch screen or buttons 17 is provided at each or some workstations.This display may be used for the computer system to show the operatorinstructions related to the processing, e.g. a text explaining how tocut or a graphical view of a certain cut, information about the currentor next items to be processed, information about the calculated yield interms of efficiency or quality, etc. The display may further comprisebuttons either integrated in the display as a touch screen or providedsomewhere else within reach of the operator, or other kind of inputdevice, e.g. a keyboard, proximity sensors, infrared sensors, a bar codereader, RFID tag reader or chip reader, etc. Thereby is facilitated thatthe operator can provide further information to the computer system.When no automatic loading of processed items is provided, the operatormay use the buttons to signal to the computer system when a processeditem is put on the conveyor means 4. Other use of the buttons mayinclude signalling to the computer system that the item is discarded,i.e. that no processed item is available for return to the conveyormeans 4. In that case, the computer system should remove that item fromthe track keeping register. The operator may be enabled to signal to thecomputer system which kind cut-off he is making, i.e. waste, bones, fat,meat with excessive fat, etc. The operator may also be able to signal tothe computer that he has parted a single item into two or more processeditems, in which case the track keeping register should split therelevant one item into two or more. The operator may also be able tosignal to the computer that further processing of a particular item isneeded, or that he is not skilled to do the requested processing, orthat he needs a break and the computer therefore should stop allocatingitems to his workstation. Likewise is any further suitable use ofcommunication between the workstations and the computer system withinthe scope of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the workstationcomprises a queuing means 15 for facilitating a queue of items to buildup at the workstation without becoming a mess, and without the computersystem loosing track of the item sequence. The queuing means preferablycomprises a free rolling conveyor band or rollers without motor drive orbraking means, whereby each new item delivered to the queuing means 15by the sweeper arm 5 causes any existing items to be moved forward withvery limited friction. Thereby the items are not piling up or gettingmixed and any fragile surfaces are not damaged. The length of thequeuing means should correspond to the number of items which wouldpossibly be queued at a workstation when taking into consideration thetypical size of the items.

It is noted that several of the above-mentioned features are notnecessary for a simple form of the present invention to work and so isany combination of or leaving out in particular queuing means 15,display 17, openings 18, secondary conveyor 19, scale with conveyor 16,etc., within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention as describedabove with reference to FIG. 3 as seen from the side transverse to thedirection of the conveyor means 4, i.e. as seen from an operator's pointof view. Due to clarity not all features of FIG. 3 are shown. It shows aworkstation table 2, a sweeper arm 5, a weight determining device 16,preferably a scale with a conveyor band, and a display 17. FIG. 4illustrates the relative vertical displacement and the vertical extentsof the features of a preferred embodiment, though noting that anydisplacements and extents are within the scope of the present invention.The height of the above surface of the scale 16 is selected so thatitems will drop down onto the transverse conveyor means 4. The verticaldisplacement of the display 17 should be selected for easiest use by theoperator, and should preferably be adjustable or at least tiltable andpivotable.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention as describedabove with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 as seen from the side parallel tothe direction of the conveyor means 4. Due to clarity not all featuresof FIG. 3 are shown. It shows workstation tables 2 on both sides of theconveyor means 4, and sweeper arms 5, weight determining devices 16, anddisplays 17 associated with each workstation. FIG. 5 further illustratesa possible location of the openings 18 for waste and/or secondaryprocessed items and underlying secondary conveyors 19. FIG. 5illustrates the relative vertical displacement and the vertical extentsof the features of a preferred embodiment, though noting that anydisplacements and extents are within the scope of the present invention.The horizontal extent and displacement of the scale conveyor band 16 isselected so that the scale conveyor termination area B protrudes outover and above the conveyor means 4 so that items will drop down ontothe conveyor means a suitable distance from the edge thereof.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a food processing system using theworkstations 1 described above with reference to FIGS. 3-5. As describedabove, each workstation 1 preferably comprises a workstation table 2, aplatform 3 for an operator 13 to stand on and a sweeper arm 5. Theworkstations 1 are arranged on both sides along a conveyor means 4. Inthe configuration of FIG. 6 all workstations are illustrated as beingsubstantially equally configured, and symmetrically located along theconveyor. It is noted, however, that any configurations, e.g. includingdifferent types of workstations for different processing tasks, or partsof the conveyor means 4 not being associated with any workstations,etc., are within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, theconveyor means 4 needs not be linearly arranged as in FIG. 2 within thescope of the present invention. The sweeper arms 5 are each connected toa computer system 8, which keeps track of the items as described above,and is thereby able to control which items should be unloaded to whichworkstations at which times.

The workstations in FIG. 6 further comprise a queuing means 15 forreceiving a number of items for processing, and one or more openings 18preferably in connection with one or more secondary conveyors 19 fortransporting waste and/or secondary processed items, e.g. fat, away fromthe workstations. Further, the workstations comprise a scale 16 arrangedwith a conveyor as described above, and a display 17, which preferablycomprises means for input, e.g. a touch screen or buttons as describedabove. In FIG. 6 is illustrated different locations of the displays 17relative to the workstations 1, and it is recognised that any suitablelocations are within the scope of the present invention. The sameapplies to the general layout and configuration of the workstations, inthat, even for workstations configured to perform the same processingtasks, the different elements may be placed different for variouspurposes. In FIG. 6 the workstation layouts are mirrored by the conveyormeans 4 in the centre so that operators on the left side of the conveyormeans 4 have the queuing means at their right and work from right toleft, whereas operators on the right side of the conveyor means havetheir queuing means to their left, thus working from left to right.Other possibilities comprise having equal layout on both sides so thatall operators work from left to right or vice versa, or laying theindividual workstations out according to the wishes of the operatorsworking there, or the obvious configuring workstations aimed atdifferent processing tasks differently.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6 the scales 16 performs the act of obtaininginformation about a return of a processed item to the conveyor means 4,and sending this information to the computer system 8, preferablytogether with information about the new weight of the item enablingyield control.

The food processing system in FIG. 6 further comprises at the entranceof the conveyor means 4 an initial characteristics determining device 6,e.g. comprising a short conveyor band arranged together with a scale toestablish the weight of an item 10 being transported by the initialcharacteristics determining device. Any suitable initial characteristicsdetermining devices are within the scope of the present invention, e.g.scales, scanners, sensors, manual inspection, etc., are within the scopeof the invention, as well as any combinations thereof. The initialcharacteristics determining device 6 is connected to the computer system8, e.g. in order to establish the initial register of the sequence ofitems, preferably together with additional information, e.g. initialitem weights, initial shapes, initial bone, fat and meat distributions,initial sizes, etc. Instead of an initial characteristics determiningdevice, the same information may be obtained from a pre-processingsystem, e.g. a sorting system, coarse cutting system, etc., whereby theinitial characteristics determining device can be dispensed with. Theinformation available in the computer system when items 10 are providedto the conveyor means 4 should be sufficient to keep track of thesequence of items, but should in a preferred embodiment also keep trackof associated weights, traceability information, planned processingsteps, etc. In a food processing system where the workstations areconfigured for different processing, e.g. by different arrangements ordifferent operators with different skills, the computer systems shouldpreferably also have access to such information in order to control theallocation of items to the relevant workstations by means of the sweeperarms 5 or other distribution means. When the computer system knows boththe sequence of items as well as the available processing means, i.e.differently configured workstations, it can plan the process mostefficiently with respect to speed, quality, other aims, or compromisesthereof.

It is recognised that even though a final characteristics determiningdevice arranged at the termination area of the conveyor means 4 is notshown in FIG. 6, the embodiment of FIG. 6 could comprise such a finalcharacteristics determining device as described above with reference toFIG. 2. In a preferred embodiment, however, the scale 16 or other weightdetermining device at each workstation 1 is sufficient for keeping trackof the items and producing sufficient data for yield control andtraceability, whereby a common scale at the end of the conveyor is notnecessary. In fact the configuration of the embodiment of FIG. 6 havinga scale at each workstations offers better yield control, as data can beobtained for each individual operator and/or processing task, even whenexploiting the possibility of performing multiple processing tasks onthe same item at the same conveyor, which is only enabled by the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 depicts some details of an embodiment of the present invention ingeneral according to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3-6. It showsapproximately the half width of a workstation table 2 comprising asweeper arm 5 and a queuing means 15 configured with a free rollingconveyor band as described above. At each side, parts of scales withconveyors 16 are visible, and to the left a part of a display 17 isvisible. Behind the sweeper arm 5 can be seen the conveyor means 4, andopposite sweeper arm and scales. In the embodiment of FIG. 7 theconveyor means 4, the queuing means 15 and the workstation tables 2 areall at substantially the same vertical level, which is preferred, butdifferentiations are also within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 8 depicts further details of an embodiment of the present inventionin general according to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3-6. Itshows approximately the half width of a workstation table 2 comprising ascale with conveyor 16, a display 17 and an opening 18 for dismissingwaste and/or secondary processed items such as fat. At the sides can beseen parts of sweeper arms 5 and queuing means 15, as well as theconveyor means 4.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8 the display 17 comprises a touch screendisplay which enables programmatically providing relevant inputfunctions, e.g. buttons, keyboard, etc., but it additionally comprisesreal buttons, too, e.g. for input functions which should definitelyalways work. As seen, the vertical level of the scale conveyor 16 isabove the conveyor means 4, thereby enabling items to be dropped down onthe conveyor means 4 for improved handing over. The conveyor 16 ishorizontal so that it is also raised above the level of the workstationtable 2 in the embodiment of FIG. 8. It is noted, however, that anyother suitable configurations of scale and conveyor 16 are within thescope of the present invention, e.g. having the conveyor 16 slope fromtable level to the advanced level above the conveyor means 4.

FIG. 9 is an overview of an entire workstation as described in detailabove with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, comprising the same features. InFIG. 9 can also bee seen part of a secondary conveyor means 19 runningbeneath the workstation table 2 for transporting away secondaryprocessed items which the operator dumps through the opening 18. FIG. 9also implies that the displays can be tilted and turned to best suit theindividual operating the workstation.

FIG. 10 is an overview of a food processing system comprising several ofthe workstations described in detail above with reference to FIGS. 7-9.The food processing system is depicted from the entrance end of theconveyor means 4, where also an initial characteristics determiningdevice 6 is illustrated. Along the conveyor means 4, severalworkstations as described above are located on both sides. In FIG. 10 isclearly seen the end of a secondary conveyor means 19 for transportingaway secondary processed items or waste. A computer system 20 is alsoshown in connection with the initial characteristics determining device6. This computer system may be the central computer system referred toby numeral 8 in the above description, which controls the foodprocessing system, but it can also merely comprise a display connectedto the main computer system for displaying important information to asupervisor or control person, or simply the current status of theprocessing system or any other relevant information obtainable, e.g.yield figures, etc. The display, whether acting as main computer system8 or simply as an input/output device, may also be used for planning thecurrent and future batches or processing tasks, input information aboutthe current operators and workstation configurations, etc., therebyfacilitating better allocation of items for processing at the mostrelevant workstations. The initial characteristics determining device 6is in the embodiment of the FIG. 10 of a type corresponding to theweight determining devices 16 at each workstation, however with aconveyor configuration specifically suited for the position at theentrance, handling every single item of the batch. As described above,any suitable initial characteristics determining device is within thescope of the present invention, e.g. scanners, sensors, etc.

FIG. 11 is a look along the conveyor means 4 from the initialcharacteristics determining device 6 showing workstations on both sides.This view clearly illustrates the protrusion of the scale conveyors 16out over the conveyor means 4 enabling processed items to be dropped onthe conveyor means 4 a certain distance D from the edge of the conveyormeans.

It is recognised that in addition to the embodiments shown in thedrawings, several other configurations are within the scope of thepresent invention, including any combinations of the above describedfeatures and embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. Method for processing food items, comprising thesteps of: providing a stream of food items on a conveyor configured forservicing each one of a plurality of workstations; automaticallyselecting, via a computer system, one or more of the food items fortransfer to a selected one of the workstations; transferring theselected one or more of the food items from the conveyor to saidselected one of the workstations for processing by cutting and/ortrimming the selected one or more of the food items into processeditems, wherein others of the food items are transported past saidselected one of the workstations by the conveyor; registering in thecomputer system the transfer of the selected one or more of the fooditems to said selected one of the workstations; and returning at leastsome of the processed items to the same conveyor for further transport.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one or more of the fooditems that are transferred to said selected one of the workstations aretransferred in a serial manner, such that the processing of each one ofthe transferred food items occurs one at a time.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein at least some of the processed items are transported by saidconveyor to a different one of the workstations for transfer to saiddifferent one of the workstations for further processing.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein at least some of the processed items returned tosaid conveyor are transported by said conveyor past one or more othersof the workstations.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofautomatically selecting the one or more of the food items is based on aspecific type of processing that is performed at said selected one ofthe workstations.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected one ormore of the food items that are transferred to said selected one of theworkstations are transferred in a serial manner, such that theprocessing of each one of the transferred food items occurs one at atime.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of automaticallyselecting the one or more of the food items is based on a specific typeof processing that is performed at said selected one of theworkstations.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected one or moreitems are automatically transferred to said selected one of theworkstations using a transfer device controlled by the computer system.9. Method for processing food items, comprising the steps of: providinga stream of food items on a conveyor configured for servicing each oneof a plurality of workstations; automatically selecting, via a computersystem, one or more of the food items for transfer to a selected one ofthe workstations; transferring the selected one or more of the fooditems from the conveyor to said selected one of the workstations forprocessing by cutting and/or trimming the selected one or more of thefood items into processed items, wherein others of the food items aretransported past said selected one of the workstations by the conveyor;registering in the computer system the transfer of the selected one ormore of the food items to said selected one of the workstations;returning at least some of the processed items to the same conveyor fortransport by said conveyor to or past others of said workstations; andregistering in the computer system the return of the processed itemsfrom said selected one of the workstations to said conveyor.
 10. Methodfor processing food items, comprising the steps of: providing a streamof food items on a conveyor configured for servicing each one of aplurality of workstations; transporting, using said conveyor, at least asubset of the food items to one of the plurality of workstations;automatically transferring, using a transfer device controlled by acomputer system, each one of said subset of food items from the conveyorto a first location at one of the workstations; processing each one ofthe transferred food items at said one of the workstations into one ormore processed items by cutting and/or trimming, wherein at least one ofthe processed items are provided at a second location at said selectedone of the workstations such that said second location is differentlylocated than said first location; and returning the processed items tothe same conveyor for further transport.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the subset of food items are transported and transferred to saidone of the workstations in a serial manner, such that the processing ofeach one of the transferred food items occurs one at a time.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the processing of the transferred food itemsresults in one or more additional processed items that are transferredto a third location different than the first and second locations. 13.The method of claim 10, wherein the processed items returned to saidconveyor are transported by said conveyor to or past one or more othersof the workstations.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising astep of automatically selecting, using the computer system, each one ofthe subset of food items for transferring to the first location at saidone of the workstations based on a specific type of processing that isperformed at said one of the workstations.
 15. Method for processingfood items, comprising the steps of: providing a stream of food items ona conveyor configured for servicing each one of a plurality ofworkstations; automatically transferring, using a transfer devicecontrolled by a computer system, one or more of the food items from theconveyor to a first location at one of the workstations, wherein othersof the food items are transported past said one of the workstations bythe conveyor; processing the transferred one or more of the food itemsby cutting and/or trimming the transferred food items at said one of theworkstations into processed items, wherein at least one of the processeditems are provided at a second location at said selected one of theworkstations such that said second location is differently located thansaid first location; and returning the processed items to the sameconveyor for further transport.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein theprocessed items returned to said conveyor are transported by saidconveyor to or past one or more others of the workstations.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising a step of automatically selectingthe one or more of the food items for transferring to said firstlocation at said one of the workstations based on a specific type ofprocessing that is performed at said one of the workstations.
 18. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the transferred food items are transportedand transferred to said one of the workstations in a serial manner, suchthat the transfer of the one or more of the food items occurs one at atime.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the processing of each one ofthe transferred food items results in one or more additional processeditems that are transferred to a third location different than the firstand second locations.
 20. Method for processing food items, comprisingthe steps of: providing a stream of food items on a conveyor configuredfor servicing each one of a plurality of workstations; automaticallyselecting, via a computer system, some of the food items for transfer toa selected one of the workstations; automatically transferring, using atransfer device controlled by the computer system, the selected one ormore of the food items from the conveyor to a first location at saidselected one of the workstations, wherein others of the food items aretransported past said selected one of the workstations by the conveyor;processing, one at a time, each one of the selected food items at theselected one of the workstations by cutting and/or trimming each one ofthe selected food items into at least one processed item; for at leastsome of the processed food items, moving, at least one of the processeditems to a second location at said selected one of the workstations,said second location differently located than said first location; andreturning the moved processed items to the same conveyor for transportto or past one or more others of said workstations.
 21. The method ofclaim 20, wherein at least some of the processed items that were notmoved to the second location are transferred to a third locationdifferent than the first and second locations.
 22. The method of claim20, wherein the computer system performs the step of automaticallyselecting the one or more of the food items based on a specific type ofprocessing that is performed at said selected one of the workstations.23. The method of claim 20, wherein at least some of the processed itemsreturned to said conveyor are transported by said conveyor to adifferent one of the workstations for transfer to said different one ofthe workstations for further processing.
 24. Method for processing fooditems, comprising the steps of: providing a stream of food items on aconveyor configured for servicing each one of a plurality ofworkstations; transporting at least a subset of the food items to orpast at least one of the workstations; automatically selecting, via acomputer system, one or more of said subset of food items for transferto said one of the workstations; automatically transferring, using atransfer device controlled by the computer system, the selected one ormore of the food items from the conveyor to a first location at said oneof the workstations, wherein others of the subset of food items aretransported past said one of the workstations by the conveyor;registering in the computer system the transfer of the selected one ormore of the food items to said one of the workstations; processing bycutting and/or trimming the selected one or more of the food items atsaid selected one of the workstations into processed items; moving atleast some of the processed items to a second location at said selectedone of the workstations, said second location differently located thansaid first location; returning the moved processed items to the sameconveyor for transport to or past one or more others of saidworkstations; and registering in the computer system the return of theprocessed items from said selected one of the workstations to saidconveyor.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein at least some of theprocessed items that were not moved to said second location aretransferred to a third location different than the first and secondlocations.
 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the computer systemperforms the step of automatically selecting the one or more of the fooditems based on a specific type of processing that is performed at saidselected one of the workstations.
 27. The method of claim 24, wherein atleast some of the processed items returned to said conveyor aretransported by said conveyor to a different one of the workstations fortransfer to said different one of the workstations for furtherprocessing.